PUNCH'S OPINION OF CHAPMAN, THE GREAT MAGICIAN.

Dunstan Times, Issue 602, 31 October 1873, Page 3

PUNCH'S OPINION OF CHAPMAN, THE GREAT MAGICIAN.

Mr. Punch is bewitched, or rather bewizarded He has been to see Chapman, | ami is now suffering from an acute attack : of Ghapmattia. Of course ninety-nine and a quarter out of every hundred of Mr. Punch s friends know who Chapman is, but for the information of-the remaining three fourths of an individual, it is hereby notifi"d that Chapman is the Chapman, the great Chapman, the renowned somatic conjuror, and prestidigi—(for the remainder of this word see next issue) who is now holding his court at the School of Arts, and it nightly putting all the wizards that ever visited the Australian Colonies to utter shame. Yes, Mr. Punch is perfectly be.viz irded. He ha? been two nights to see the marvels of hanky-panky, and int -nils to go again every night this cream of conjurors can he induced to stay. Bat not I o dy does Mr. Punch's attack of Chapin.nia assert itself in this species of fastination, but it further induces him, in ail sorts of places, and at all hours of the day, to imitate the g;e it master whom he so much admires. Winn Mr. Punch tries the tricks in the parlour, it is of couise pnlour magic,” and when he practises in the garret, out of the way of Judy ami the children, it in ’* Somealtie ” conjiiiing he is engaged upon. Lust night he bonoweda pair of handcuffs from the wateh-ln use, put them on, got Alt a P. tu tie bint up tit a fl -nr bag, and to seal it with her beat silver tliuu de Tuen he caused himself to be led to the coal cellar, ami ordered his anxious spume to leave him, for he was gmug to try the Great Sackful of Gltost’s mystery. But it was no use. He strained botlt : ts arms in vain endeavours to twist off the handcuffs ; the flour got into h.s eyes, mouth, nose, and eats; he broke his head against the collar floor; rubbed five square iueh-S of skin off his 1 ack ; was bii_ len in tne tfngh by Toby, who mistook his contortions for the writhing of some animal monster, and finally emerged from the sack (by the aid of scissors) after having passetl halt-au-iiour of the greatest suffering imaginable Later in the evening Mr.Punch endeavored to perform the Davenport feat ana lor that purj use was bou„d Land . nd ,oot, elbows amt eyelids, to the “old arm chair ’ in which he pens his brilliant effusivns. De was vuy iarticular iuiu piessi.ig upon Judy the necessity of making ihe rope tuoronghly “ secure ” in order that ne might not perform the feat too easily, ami ilie laithful o.d giil followed her inSi rue Lions to the letter. The result was as I olio tvs : lu two hours and three quarto. s air. Punch had so far managed to relea e himse.f as to be lying on the floor with the arm chair ou top of him, the persptra ion pouring from him and terming litue t ,uois ou the carpet, .every limb achim, every muscle strained, every nerve thro biitg, his right hip dislocated, his left knee-cap broken, hra nose out of joint, his sp.ne twisted, aud tne blessed rope tighter tr.au ever ! 1 1 On being cut adiift the only words that escaped the lips of th.s martyr to the cause ox science were: “ If 1 could on y Late got one arm and one leg fite 1 Could have managed the rest.” After this, by wray of relaxation, Mr. Punch assembled his family (some being taken un timely from their beds for the purpose) and showed them several marvellous feats. He cut a hole in a handkerchief and didn’t manage tp mend it-; he smashed up his e.dest son’s gold watch, fired it out of a pistol, and didn’t restore it to the owner in perfect order, but only broke the chimney 'glf'ss and grazetVtire' baby’s forehead with the fragments; he got his wife to choose a

card, and said ho would produce it.withi i j seeing it on the end of a. sword (nr lather the toasting fink), but when he came to try it he concluded that it would he be'tor to substitute ano‘lie<- trick, so he announced as a finale “ the marvellous secpn 1 sight, ” hut he was not particularly suci'ess'ul even : n that extremely sioip’e f at, for hegutssed that a poker was a latch key, and a snuffbox a coffin. After that he went to bel. But he rose this morning with renewed vigour, and is determined to watch Chapman very narrowly.